Tuesday, June 10, 2008

With Lakers down 0-2 Kobie-Jordan comparisons drop 83 percent

With the Los Angeles Lakers down two games to none against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, comparisons between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are down 83% across sports media nation-wide. Sports media trackers are monitoring a sharp rise in the "Can Kobe win without a superstar" line of debate.

"Just a week ago sports outlets like The Dan Patrick Show were buzzing about Kobe and Jordan comparisons," says Don Williams, a sports media expert analyst. "Now that they're down 0-2 no one is even mentioning it. In-fact, the specter of what used to haunt Kobe, his inability to lead a team to a championship without someone like Shaquille O'Neil, is rising sharply."

Sports media outlets excitedly began comparing Kobe to Jordan, a six time NBA champion, after the Lakers dispatched the San Antonio Spurts in the NBA Western Conference Finals.

"The presumption seemed to be that Kobe was going to win his fourth championship and then we'd have a real Kobe-Jordan debate," said Williams. "Of course, Kobe has to actually win the thing first. But we know ESPN and sports radio doesn't want to wait for that when it can speculate about speculation. They love to test these stories out before they actually even happen. It's very common."

The Lakers lost a tight game Thursday night in Boston to the Celtics, 98-88. The Celtics dominated most of game two on Sunday. Los Angeles came back near the end but fell short 108-102. The series now shifts to Los Angeles tonight.